The production of biogenic amines in the muscle tissue of eviscerated mallard ducks in dependence on storage time and temperature

The quality of game meat is significantly influenced by the way in which the animal is treated after killing. The recommended way of treating mallard ducks is complete evisceration of the organs of the body cavity. The hygiene quality of meat may be assessed on the basis of changes in biogenic amine concentrations, an increase which is associated with the proliferation of contaminating microflora and a fall in the hygiene quality of the meat. In our work, we studied the content of biogenic amines in the meat of harvested mallard ducks treated by evisceration of the organs of the body cavity and stored for a period of 21 days at temperatures of 0 °C and 15 °C. We found that the most important biogenic amines for the evaluation of the hygiene quality of mallard duck meat are cadaverine, putrescine and tyramine. Changes in biogenic amine concentrations occurred in the very first days of storage at both 0 °C and 15 °C. In ducks stored at 0 °C, the content of biogenic amines was higher in the thigh muscle, while higher concentrations were found in the breast muscle of ducks stored at 15 °C (the difference was not, however, statistically significant). Overall, these results indicate that the recommended length of time for which harvested and eviscerated mallard ducks can be stored at 0 °C is extremely short (1 or 2 days), and that their storage at 15 °C cannot be recommended at all in view of high concentrations of biogenic amines.